Padding machine



A. S. MITCHELL PADDING MACHINE Jul 8 1924.

Filed June 15. 1923 v ATTORNEY INVENTOR 1711/5727? 5. .lW/TCf/[ZZ heretofore been performs Patented July 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALLISTEB S. MITCHELL, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 CALIFORNIA COT- 'I'ON KILLS COMPANY, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALI- I'ORNIA.

PADDING MACHINE.

Application filed June 1a, 1923. 1 Serial No. 345,892.

To all whom it ma concern:

Be it known that ,Ams'rnn S. MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Padding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is a padding machine, articularly applicable for pad ing automo ile seat backs.

The process of 'stuffin seat backs has by hand, which wasvvery tedious and slow.

The objectof my invention is to materially decrease the time required to pad a seat.

Another ob'ect is to provide a machine in which a p urality of padding carrying tubes are simultaneously advanced into a plurality of pockets in the seat back, thus causing these pockets to be filled.

I further provide a means to extend the seat pockets for the recegtion of the tubes.

Further objects and a vantages will appear throughout the specification.

In the annexed drawing in which my invention is illustrated, I have shown the preferred form, but it may also be embodied in other forms, and in this application I wish to cover my invention in whatever form it may be embodied.

- 1 is aside elevation of my padding machine.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2,2 of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing: m machine consists of a table top 1, which is supported on legs 2. A plura ity of transverse arcuate grooves 3 are formed in the top of the table 1, which are adapted to receive the pockets of the seat back, or article to be padded. The seat is formed in the conventional way with a number of Eockets formed therein, each of which is ed with 8. padding material;

A plurality of tubular padding conveyors 4 are mounted upon a block 5, which slides on rods 6 secured to the top 1, and slugported at the rear endsb posts 7. e tubes 4 are each placed in alignment with a groove 3, and are mounted to enter said grooves.

When the seat 1s placed upon the table 1 the two sheets of material comprising it will naturally fall together. That the enterlng end of the pockets may be distended to facilitate the entrance of the tubes, I have provided a vacuum flue 8, which is mounted above the table 1, and which draws the upper half of the seat upwardly against the bottom of the flue, while the lower half remains in the pockets 3. A pipe 9 extends from the flue 8 to a suitable source of vacuum (not shown).-

Fingers 10 are pivoted to the front edge of the table 1, one finger being positioned opposite each of the grooves 3. These fingers are adapted to engage the lower half These arms are adapted to press downwardly upon the rear edge of the seat pocket and thus p1nch against the padding to hold it in position while the tube is retracted.

A knife 12 is ieciprocall mounted upon guide rods 13, an in escending it is adapted to cut the padding in front of the tubes 4.

The filling, cutting, and holding opera tions on the. seat back are automatically performed in proper sequence by a masterv cam wheel 14. This wheel 14 is 'ournaled upon a shaft 15, which is journale in bearings 16-16, and rotated by any suitable source of power.

A clutch 17 is slidably keyed to the shaft 15, and is adapted to engage the bosses 18 on the hub of the wheel 14: thus rotating said wheel. The. clutch 17 is actuated by an arm 19 which is pivoted to the floor plate 20, and which is swung by a foot pedal 21 secured thereto.

A link22 is pivoted at one end to the end of the fin r 10, and extends into a cam cove 23 in the wheel 14 at the other end.

e first operation as the wheel 14 rotates is to move the fingers 10 against" the seat to be padded, thus holding it securely in position, which is accomplished the groove 23 pushmg the link 22 outwa" y.

The second operation is to open'the flue 8 to the vacuum and thus distend the enter ing ends of the pockets, this is accomplished by means of a link 24, which engages a cam groove 25 at one end, which acts to pull said link downwardly. The link 24: is pivoted to an arm 26 which is secured to a valve 27 in the pipe 9. When the link 24 is lowered it ulls the arm 26 and opens the valve 27 which opens the line 8 to the vacuum.

The third operation is to move the tubes 4 into and out of the padding pockets. One end of a link 28 rides in a cam groove 29 in the wheel 14:, the other end of said link is pivoted to an arm 30, which is pivoted at its upper end to the block 5 and at its lower end to a block 31 on the floor. As the link 28 is moved inwardly by the cam 29, it swings the arm 30 and the tubes 4 enter the pockets. At this point the arms 11 are caused to operate by a link 32 which is pivoted to the lower ends of said arms and which runs in a cam groove 33. The arms 11 are held depressed while the tubes 4- are withdrawn after which they are released.

The last operation is to carry the knife 12 downward to cut the cotton after the tubes have been withdrawn. Gne end of a link 34 travels in a camgroove 35, and the other end is pivoted to an arm 36 which arm is pivoted to the post 13. An actuating link 3'? is pivoted to the arm 36 and to the knife 12 thus causing the knife to move when the arm 36 is actuated.

The padding is formed in a continuous strip and preferably placed on a roll as shown at 38 and the end is threaded through the" tube 4. When the tube is withdrawn from the pocket it slides over the padding and is thus always threaded and ready for use. In moving forward the padding is unrolled from the roll by the tube while on the backward movement it remains stationary. I

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A padding machine comprising a table upon which the article to be padded is adapted to be placed, said article having at least one pocket formed therein, a tube positioned in front of said table and in align ment with said pocket, means to reciprocate said tube into and out of said pocket, means holding one side of said article while the tube is being inserted into the pocket and means adapted to hold the other side of the article while the tube is being withdrawn from the pocket, and a cam adapted to actuate said means. I

2. A padding machine comprising a table upon which the article to be padded is adapted to be placed, said article having at least one pocket formed therein, a tube adapted to be reciprocated into and out of 'saidpocket, a mastercam, means actuated upon which the article to be padded is' adapted to be placed, said article having at least one pocket formed therein, a tube positioned in alignment with said pocket, 8. master cam, means actuated by said master cam whereby said tube is reciprocated into and out of said pocket, an arm actuated by said master cam whereby the inner edge of said article is held while the tube is being inserted and is released while the tube is being retracted, means adapted to hold the other edge of said article while the tube is being retracted and to release the latter edge while the tube is being inserted.

4. A padding machine comprising a table upon which the article to be padded is adapted to be placed, said article having at least one pocket formed therein, a tube positioned in front of said pocket, a single means whereby said tube may be reciprocat-.

ed into and out of said pocket, a finger actuated by said means adapted to hold that side of the article which the tube first enters while the same isbeing inserted into the pocket ahd to release the same while it is being withdrawn therefrom, an arm, said means being adapted to actuate said arm so as to hold the opposite edge of said article while the tube is being withdrawn therefrom and to release the same while the tube is being inserted.

5. A padding machine comprising a table upon which the article to be padded is.

adapted to be placed, said table having a groove in the top thereof, said article having a pocket formed therein adaptedto lie in the groove and a vacuum flue above the table top adapted to open the pocket.

6. A padding machine comprising a table upon which the article to be padded is a apted to be placed, said table having I groove in the top thereof, said article having a pocket formed therein adapted to lie in the groove, a vacuum flue above the table top adapted to open the pocket and means whereby said vacuumflue is automatically re lated. c

A paddin machine comprising a table upon which t e article to be added is adapted'to be placed, said artic e ha pockets formed therein, means to diszdii the entering end of said pockets, tubes positioned in front of'said table, and means to reciprocate said tubes into said pockets;

8. A paddin machine comprising a table upon which t e article to be padded is adapted to be placed, said article having pockets formed therein, a vacuum flue positioned over said table at the forward ed thereof, tubes positioned in front of we table, and means to reciprocate said tubes and out of said pocket, means whereby the into said pockets. opposite edges of the article are alternately 10 9. A padding machine comprising a table held, means whereby said pocket mag be upon which the article to be padded is opened to receive the tube and means w ere- 5 adapted to be placed, said article having at by the padding may be severed after the tube least one pocket formed therein, a tube pois withdrawn from the pocket. sitioned in alignment with said pocket, In testimon whereof I afiix my signature. means whereby said tube is reeiprocated into A ISTER S. MITCHELL. 

